County Announces Permanent Closure Of Oak Ridge Golf Course

CLARK—The Union County Freeholders officially announced the closure of Oak Ridge Golf Course in Clark last week. The move had been proposed in January to help close a $24 million budget gap, but it was opposed by a number of county golfers.

The closure of the Oak Ridge Golf Course in Clark is expected to save $740,000 a year. The 67-acre golf course could be converted into a multi-use county park, with its historic clubhouse restored and preserved, officials said.

Oak Ridge sustained the worst operating loss — $410,000 — among the three county courses last year. The 72-year-old course would require a minimum of $5-7 million to rebuild its dilapidated club house and address the structural flooding issues with the course itself.

County officials are exploring options to privatize the operations at the two remaining courses, Ashbrook in Scotch Plains and Galloping Hill in Union. There are also plans to build a driving range at Galloping Hill.